For the past 50 years, Craig O’Neill has drawn plenty of attention as a key figure in Little Rock’s broadcasting world – first, as the king of morning radio, and now, as lead anchor of KTHV Channel 11’s 10 p.m. news. But in his private life, O’Neill’s quietly working on a new hobby that he believes has made him a better citizen.
O’Neill takes a 48-minute walk every day through the streets of Little Rock’s Heights neighborhood, exercising his mind even more than his body. While he jokes that he looks like he’s “mumbling to [him]self” while ambulating, O’Neill is actually memorizing an array of eclectic information and facts, from the U.S. Constitution to every winner of the Kentucky Derby for the past 100 years. The idea was borne from the need to exercise inventively amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It started with Time magazine, and a poet they featured about a year and a half ago,” O’Neill explained. “Because of COVID, she didn’t go to health clubs, so she walked every day at the same time, and she realized she had an opportunity to improve her memory by walking. Every time she walked, she memorized poetry and recited it, and I thought, ‘How brilliant!’ So, I started doing it, in the late winter and early spring of 2021.”
He’s also learned to recite St Crispin’s Day speech from Shakespeare’s Henry V, which he has loved since seeing the legendary actor, Sir Laurence Olivier, perform it in the classic film version. The Gettysburg Address, every member of President Biden’s cabinet and the name, party and district of every member of the Arkansas State Legislature have all been mastered by O’Neill as well, using a precise technique.
“I have a notebook I take with me that has whatever I want to learn in it,” O’Neill explained. “I’ll look at it and do it incrementally. Right now, I’m on the Preamble and the first 7 articles of the Constitution. Every time I go walking, I start with the first thing I memorized and work my way back. People think I’m mumbling and talking to myself, but no, I’m repeating all of these things. I try to alternate between governmental structures, basic citizenship things and literature.”
When quizzed on the fly to name the 1925 Kentucky Derby winner, O’Neill correctly answers, “Flying Ebony.” A quick query about 1972 yields the instant response, “Riva Ridge.” But while learning the list of equestrian champions is just for fun, O’Neill believes his knowledge of the state legislature has been transformative.
“The reason it’s made me a better citizen is because, America right now, runs on anger. This country runs on outrage, with the way that commentators and networks now flourish, making money and prospering by making people outraged, pointing fingers and blame,” O’Neill explained. “If you memorize these names, even those you disagree with philosophically, and you know where they’re from, you know where their home office is and you know them by name, it becomes a game. This congressman thinks differently than I do, so why does he do it and what’s his story, where does he come from and why are we on opposite sides?
“Suddenly, I realize I’m becoming a better citizen. I no longer have to think in terms of Democrat and Republican, blue or red,” he continued.
“I think in terms of politics. When you take your car to the mechanic, they don’t open the hood and start blaming. They analyze what’s wrong with the engine and fix it. Politics is the machinery of government. We only take a look at the engine and what needs to be fixed to make it a better running engine. To me, ‘memorizing the engine’ is the first step.”
Reading great literature is also a passion for O’Neill, who classifies himself as a “reborn reader” after many lackadaisical years. He credits a 2014 “Entertainment Weekly” list of the 100 greatest novels ever written for inspiring him to dive in, and he’s worked his way down the list in the years since, from 100 to his latest tome, the No. 27 pick, Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man.” He’s also spread his love of letters to Central Arkansas children, becoming as a regular surprise guest in classrooms – an endeavor he hopes will inspire both children and the adults who watch his newscast.
“I read a wonderful essay from Cherese West-Scantlebury of the Rockefeller Foundation, in which she pointed out that only 40% of Arkansas students are reading on grade level. She called it ‘deplorable.’ Then, she challenged all of us when she wrote, ‘If only 40% of Arkansas’ children had shoes, we’d have warehouses full of shoes within a week.’
“I certainly use THV11 and my status as a TV anchor to heighten the impact of visiting schools,” he added. “The formula is simple. First, show up at a school with a TV camera. Second, have fun with them. Third, read a book. Fourth, discuss the book. And fifth, show the video on the news to reinforce the joy that comes from reading.”
O’Neill has been joyous throughout his life, starting as a boy named Randy Hankins in Little Rock, with dreams of following in the footsteps of Johnny Carson. “I wanted the Tonight Show more than anything!” he recalled. While in college at Arkansas State University, O’Neill worked at Jonesboro radio station, KBTM, until he graduated and was hired by KARN in Little Rock as an ad salesman – a job he hated, but endured for 2 1/2 years.
Desperate to get back on the air, O’Neill bided his time by deejaying parties. A man named Ken Dennis spotted him “having a ball” while deejaying a benefit party for UA Little Rock. Dennis soon changed O’Neill life by hiring him to host the morning show at KLAZ, which was in Little Rock before its current home in Hot Springs. After three years there, O’Neill broke big in 1981 as the star of pop station KKYK’s morning show, and after a decade there, he took the reins at KURB 98.5, from 1991 to 2000.
O’Neill attained wild popularity during those two decades, thanks to his non-stop, wacky sense of humor that was inspired by legendary comedians such as Steve Martin and Robin Williams. That wit was best highlighted in his legendary and notorious prank phone calls. Thinking back on hundreds of them, one in particular stands out as his favorite.
“My own personal favorite was a call to the highway sign company in Little Rock,” O’Neill recalled. “I loved it because it was almost as if it had been rehearsed,” he noted, breaking the prank down via email.
O’NEILL (as a “Highway Department rep.”): “We need a special sign put up at Beaver Lake. The dam up there doubles as a bridge that leads to state parks. Trouble is, in the summer, with temps in the ’90s, people are walkin’ across that thing and burnin’ the bottoms of their feet – and we need a sign tellin’ ‘em not to do it.”
GUY AT SIGN COMPANY: “Sure, we can make any sign you want. Whatcha want it to say?”
O’NEILL: “HOT DAM.”
“The highway guy chuckled and said, ‘That’s pretty funny …. When do you need it?’”
O’Neill made a major career pivot in 2000, when he jumped into television as the sports anchor for KTHV11. His passion for the Hogs had led to him doing the PA at home Razorback games and loving it. Since his radio ratings had declined to the point he wanted to try something new, O’Neill approached the station’s general manager and asked to make the switch. His first day on-air was Jan. 1, 2000, covering the Cotton Bowl, as Arkansas beat Texas.
After eight illustrious years covering all things sports, O’Neill shifted into the lead anchor seat on the station’s evening news, a move that was inspired by his desire to cover “politics, education, the economy and all things Arkansas.” Now 72, O’Neill labels himself “semi-retired” and only anchors the 10 p.m. news, with a planned final date of Jan. 1, 2024. He presently maintains a relaxed work schedule, where he arrives at the station at 7 p.m. and answers station-related emails and learns the night’s script, before the newscast’s end sets him free at 10:30.
O’Neill’s post-broadcasting plans include creating a podcast and writing, endeavors that will keep him close to Jane, his beloved artist wife of 51 years, in their home filled with her paintings and sculptures. The couple enjoy visiting with their two grandchildren, and their own two children, Thomas, 47, and Abby, 46. He’s getting a head start on his podcast plans by hosting a lighthearted Facebook Live show called, “The Craig O’Neill Variant,” on his home page.
“I’ve just started, in the last five weeks, a new hobby with the ‘Variant,’ which is a 15-minute Facebook Live visit every weekday, beginning at 10:30 in the morning. Another name for the show could be ‘Winging It,’’ he joked. “It’s from the kitchen table, hardly any format – I’m just yapping for 15 minutes, and it’s just so much fun.”
But, what does Jane think of his memorization hobby?
“If you want the ‘Jane eyeroll,’ you’ll see it if I start talking about the memorization projects,” O’Neill said with a laugh. “Oh, and as much as I fight it, I talk about it way too much.”
Feeling the same joy for life and media that he had as a child, O’Neill is ready for new ventures. But he gives one last shout-out to KTHV, his home for over 20 years.
“It’s not tough being serious, and in truth, I love wearing my Michael Blake suits with Air Jordans and delivering the news,” he said cheerfully. “I hate violent crime. I love talking politics, not in a manipulative way, but one that is celebratory almost.
But most of all, I love the daily habit of ending the 10 p.m. news with ‘Arkansan of the Day,’ the stories of Arkansans giving themselves unconditionally. I am finding that anchoring allows me, and the rest of us at THV, to set the tone for what happens in our world.”
